Draft-rigging.



PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

E. G. WASHBURN.

DRAFT RIGGING.

APPLICATION FILED APR.11,190.E.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

/%Wm4 m Zwm- 6 z/mzwn. 23/ 2% 0 e a/1 p PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

E. G. WASHBURN.

DRAFT RIGGING.

APPLIOATION FILED APR, 11, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

rreo Srares Patented April 18,1905.

EDWIN C. WASHBURN, OF- MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

DRAFT-FNGGING- SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 787,416, dated April 18, 1905.

Application filed April 11, 1904. Serial No. 202,517.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, EDWIN C. WASHBURN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Rigging; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates particularly to draft-riggings for cars, engines, and tenders and involves as an important feature thereof a frictional retarding device for relieving the cushioning springs of the draftrigging from heavy impacts or blows, which are frequently delivered thereto under draft or bumping strains.

To the above ends the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a view, partly in plan and partly in horizontal section, illustrating my invention as applied to a draftrigging. Fig. 2 is a detail in side elevation showing an integrally-cast draft-yoke forming part of the draft-rigging. Fig. 3 is a detail in front elevation showing one of the primary followers. Fig. 4. is a side elevation of the follower shown in detail in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section on the line m m of Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken centrally through a draft-rigging similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1, some parts of said draft-rigging being removed.

The draft-rigging illustrated in the drawings is intended for application to a locomotive, and hence the draft-box 1 is provided with rear end flanges 2, which adapt it to be bolted to a transverse end timber of a locomotive-frame. This draft-box 1 is formed with follower-abutments 3 and is preferably pro vided with a detachable top plate 4, secured thereto by bolts 5.

inner and outer primary followers 6 and 7. respectively, cooperate with the pairs of inner and outer abutments 3 of the draft-box 1-.

One of the primary followers-to wit, as shown, the outer follower 7is provided with an approximately cylindrical friction-flange 8. The inner follower 6 is in the form of a rectangular plate and is formed on its outer face with a spreading-wedge 9, the edge of which, as shown, is extended vertically and the body of which is so formed that it is capableof entering the open rear end of the cylindrical friction-flange 8. The follower 7 is formed with a similar spreading-wedge l0. and, as shown, the base of this wedge is recessed at 11. The body of said follower 7, as already noted, engages with the outer abutments 3, and itis preferably further provided with projecting lugs 12, which also engage with the said abutments.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the spreading-wedges 9 and 10 are provided with central perforations through which are loosely passed thrustplungers l3 and 14, respectively. As shown, the plungers 13 and 14: are headed at their outer ends, and the head of the former is adapted to be forced into aseat 15 of the follower 6, while the head of said plunger 14 works freely in the recess 11 of the follower 7. A draft-yoke 16, which is extended in a vertical plane,;embraces the followers 6 and 7 and is guided by longitudinal pockets 1 and 4, formed, respectively, in the bottom and top plates of the draft-box. The vertical inner end portion of the said yoke 16 engages the headed outer end of the thrust-plunger 13, while the headed forward end of the thrustplunger 14 is engaged by a thrust-block or web 17,. which is cast or formed integral with the yoke 16 rearward of its extreme forward ends. The thrust-block 17 is formed with laterally-projecting stop-flanges- 17, for a purpose which will presently appear.

A coupler-head 18 of the Master Car-Builders type is pivotally connected to the forwardly-projecting lug-like ends of the yoke 16 by means of a vertical pin 18". Stop-shoulders 18 on the'coupler-head 18 cooperate with the stop-flanges 17 of said yoke to limit the pivotal movement of said coupler-head.

Interposed between the primary followers 6 7 is a pair of dividing secondary followers 19 and 20, the sections of which secondary followers are beveled at their outer faces for engagement with thespreadingcams 9 and 10, respectively, of said primary followers 6 and 7. The secondary follower 19 at its base is approximately round, and its sections are provided with approximately semicylindrical friction-flanges 19", that telescope under frictional engagement into the cylindrical friction-flange 8 of the primary follower 7. The secondary follower 20 is made up of semicircular sections that telescope within and frictionally engage with the. friction-flanges 19 of the secondary follower 19. The sections of the secondary follower 19 are provided with notches or seats which permit the thrustplunger 13 to pass freely therethrough, and.

likewise the sections of the secondary follower 20 are formed with notches or seats which permit the thrust-plunger 14'to pass freely therethrough.

A cushioning-spring 21 is interposed between the secondary followers 19 and 20. Spring-bases in'the form of heavy washers 22 are placed directly against the ends of the spring 21, the one thereof being directly pressed against the secondary follower 19 and the inner end of the thrust-plunger 13 and the other being pressed directly against thesecondary follower 20 and the inner end of the thrust-plunger 141.

The normal position of the parts of the draft-rigging (illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive) is clearly shown in Fig. 1, by reference to which it will be noted that the head of the thrust-plunger 13 stands some little distance out of engagement with the seat 15 of the primary follower 6 and that the head of the thrust-plunger 14: likewise stands a considerable distance out of engagement with the seat 11 of the primary follower 7. The inner ends of the said thrust-plungers are, however, in engagement with the respective springbases 22. Hence under bumping strains the initial movement ofthe yoke 16 willcompress the cushioning-spring 21 without throwing the frictional retarding device into action. When, however, said draftyoke is moved rearward far enough to engage the head of the thrust-plunger 14 with the seat 11 of the primary follower 7, the said primary follower will be forced rearward. and the spreadingwedges 9 and 10, acting. respectively on the sections of the secondary followers 19 and 20,

c will force the said follower-sections laterally apart and cause frictional engagements between the fianges 19 of the secondary follower 19 and the cylindrical flange 8 of the said primary follower 7 and will force the sections of the secondary follower 20 into frictional engagement with the said frictional flanges 19. Under the cooperating actions of the two spreading-wedges 9 and 10 on the sections of the secondary followers it will be seen that the frictional flanges 19 of the secondary follower 19 are pressed outward at both ends into engagement with the said frictional flange 8. so that frictional engagement will be maintained under approximately equal pressure throughout the entire engaging surfaces of the said flanges 19* and 8. This action is important, because it gives a maximum of friction under a given pressure and distributes the wear over a large surface. '1 he arrangementwhereby an initial compressing or cushioning movement of the spring 21 is caused to take place before the frictional retarding device is thrown into action is also important. Under light bumping or draft strains the said frictional retarding device will frequently not be called into action. Under heavy bumping or draft strains the frictional retarding device will always be called into action andwillres sist such strains with a frictional force which is approximately proportionate to the said bumping or draft strains. Under draft strains the action of the frictional retarding device is substantially the same as under bumping strains; but of course in this case the primary follower 6 and the secondary follower 19 become the movable members, and the draftyoke 16 is permitted an initial movement far enough to bring the head of the thrust-plunger 13 into engagement with the seat 15 of the said primary follower 6 before the frictional retarding device will be thrown into action. I

. 1n the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 6 the thrust-plungers are dispensed with and the spring-bases 22 are acted directly upon only by the sections of the secondary followers 19 and 20, and, furthermore, the

spreading-wedges 9 and 10 are brought directly into normal engagement, respectively, with the sections of the said secondary fol} lowers 19 and 20. With this arrangement it is evident that the frictional retarding device will be thrown immediately into actionby movements of the draft-yoke 16 in either direction-to wit, either under draft or bumping strains. Otherwise than as above noted the action of the device illustrated in Fig. 6 is substantially the same as that of the device illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive.

The frictional retarding device above de-. scribed while shown as designed and especially adapted for use in connection with draft-rigging is adapted for more general use wherever relatively movable members are to be cushioned by the action of a cushioningspring and a frictional retarding device or. spring-dampener.

The device described is capable of modification in its details of construction and arrangement of parts within the scope of my invention as herein set forth and claimed.

ters Patent of the United States; is as follows:

1. In a draft-rigging, the combination with follower-='abutments cooperating followers,

- [2 5 What'l claim, and desire to secure by Let-- and a spring interposed between said followers, of a yoke embracing said followers and acting thereon, and a coupler-head directly pivoted to said yoke, substantially as described.

2. In a draft-rigging, the combination with follower -abutments, cooperating followers, and a spring interposed between the said followers, of a draft-yoke embracing the said followers and operating thereon, a couplerhead pivoted to said yoke, and a frictional retarding device arranged to be thrown into action under movements of said yoke, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a pair of primary followers, having spreading-wedges, and one thereof having africtional flange, of a pair of divided secondary followers frictionally telescoping one within the other, with their sections arranged to be spread by the wedges of said primary followers, one of the said secondary followers having frictional engagement with the flange of said flanged primary follower, and a cushioning-spring interposed between said secondary followers, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a pair of primary followers, both having spreading-wedges, and one thereof having an approximately cylindrical frictional flange, of a pair of divided secondary followers telescoping frictionally one within the other, and the outer secondary follower telescoping within the frictional flange of said flanged primary follower, the sections of said secondary follower being subject to the spreading-wedges of said primary follower, and a spring interposed between said secondary followers, substantially as described.

5. In a draftrigging, the combination with follower-abutments and cooperating primary followers, of secondary followers, a cushioning-spring compressed between said secondary followers, said secondary followers having frictional engagement, a draft-yoke embracing said followers, andthrust-plungers interposed between said draft-yoke and said secondary followers, and permitting limited movements of said yoke without action on said primary followers, substantially as described.

6. In a draftrigging, the combination with follower-abutments and cooperating primary followers, said primary followers having spreading-wedges, and one thereof having a frictional flange, of divided supplemental followers subject to the spreadingwedgesof said primary followers, said supplemental followers having frictional engagement with each other, and one tliereof having frictional engagement with the frictional flange of the flanged primary follower, a spring interposed between said secondary followers, a yoke embracing said followers, and thrust-plungers interposed between said yoke and said secondary followers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN C. \VASHBURN.

Witnesses:

H. D. KILGORE, F. D. MERCHANT. 

